Remove Smarty Adware — How to Fix Guide

Written by Wilbur Woodham
The Smarty search hijacker is an example of a standard unwanted program; such programs are distributed enormously nowadays. In this article you will see the comprehensive guidelines of “Smarty” hijacker removal in different tactics: utilizing anti-malware programs and hand-operated removal technique.
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Smarty – What is it?

“Smarty” search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)1, that is distributed as a plugin for your web browser. It is typically shared as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that aids to search some special info, as an example, about sport events, make your web browser a lot more safe, enable downloading of any kind of video clip, et cetera. Also, this app adds the “Managed by your organization” feature (on Chrome browsers).

Nevertheless, the “Smarty” plugin is pretty pointless due to the fact that all such features are already integrated to your web browser and/or Windows. Such marketing slogans are targeted at low-skilled computer users, like pensioners or schoolchildren. But sometimes even experienced users are getting caught on such an appeal. In particular situations, this hijacker is spread together with free apps.

Smarty hijacker - Getsmartyapp.com

Smarty Search Hijacker

Here is a short info for the Smarty hijacker
NAME Smarty
Site Getsmartyapp.com
Hosting AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc.
United States, San Francisco
Infection Type Browser Hijacker, Unwanted Application
IP Address 172.67.158.109
Symptoms Changed search engine; search queries redirection
Similar behavior Promusicsearch/, Start, Videosearchusa
Fix Tool
To remove possible virus infections, try to scan your PC

How harmful is Smarty hijacker?

Besides its impracticality, Smarty hijacker is additionally quite hazardous for web browser usage. It modifies your search engine to its particular – Getsmartyapp.com, and likewise alters your background, adding its watermark on your wallpaper (or, occasionally, changing it to default with the mentioned sign).

Besides aesthetic modifications done by Smarty hijacker, you might observe that some of your search queries are redirecting to the dubious sites, full of links and promotions – so-called doorway websites. Such sites can have links for malware downloads. The chance of redirecting rises if you attempt to start Google search page by force.

However all these actions are more frustrating than truly damaging. The biggest hazard, especially for people who have a considerable amount of confidential information in their internet browsers, is embedded in information gathering capabilities. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited sites, and other activities are easily collected by Smarty hijacker.

How to remove Smarty search hijacker?

  • Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
  • Open GridinSoft Anti-Malware and perform a “Standard scan“.
  • “Move to quarantine” all items.
  • Open “Tools” tab – Press “Reset Browser Settings“.
  • Select proper browser and options – Click “Reset”.
  • Restart your computer.

Browser hijackers are almost always very easy to delete. For the most part, they have a separate app that can be found in the list of installed apps. Due to the particular distribution tactic of Smarty hijacker, it can be easily tracked and erased by hand. Nevertheless, if you got Smarty in the package with a free applications, your computer can be contaminated with a lot more harmful malwaretrojans, spyware or perhaps ransomware. That’s why I’d suggest you use anti-malware tools to deal with the Smarty PUA and all various other malware.

You can use Microsoft Defender2 – it is capable of recognizing and clearing away different malware, including named hijacker. Nevertheless, major malware, that can exist on your PC in the mentioned situation, can disable the Windows antimalware tool by editing the Group Policies. To minimize the chanse of such situations, it is better to utilize GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

To detect and erase all malicious applications on your computer with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, it’s better to utilize Standard or Full scan. Quick Scan is not able to find all the viruses, because it checks only the most popular registry entries and folders.

Main screen in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

You can observe the detected malicious apps sorted by their possible harm during the scan process. But to choose any actions against malicious programs, you need to wait until the scan is over, or to stop the scan.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware during the scan

To set the action for every detected malicious or unwanted program, click the arrow in front of the name of the detected virus. By default, all the viruses will be removed to quarantine.

List of the detected malware after the scan

Reverting browser settings to original ones

To revert your browser settings, you need to use the Reset Browser Settings option. This action is not able to be intercepted by any malicious program, hence, you will surely see the result. This option can be found in the Tools tab.

Tools tab in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

After pressing the Reset Browser Settings option, the menu will be shown, where you can choose, which settings will be reverted to the original.

Reset Browser Settings options

Deleteing Smarty hijacker manually

Besides using anti-malware software for browser restoration, you may choose the “Reset browser settings” function, which is usually embedded in all popular browsers.

To reset Edge, do the following steps :
  1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :
  2. Reseting the Edge browser

  3. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :
For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions :
  1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :
  2. The first step to revert Mozilla Firefox

  3. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :
  4. The second step of Firefox restoration
    After choosing this option, you will see the next message :
    The last step for Firefox

If you use Google Chrome
  1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :
  2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :
  3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :
Opera can be reset in the next way
  1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :
  2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

As an afterword, I want to say that time plays against you and your PC. The activity of browser hijacker must be stopped as soon as possible, because of the possibility of other malware injection. This malware can be downloaded autonomously, or offered for you to download in one of the windows with advertisements, which are shown to you by the hijacker. You need to act as fast as you can.

I need your help to share this guide.

Browser hijackers are among the largest and also disruptive kinds of malware. I published this article to help you, so I wish you will help me to make the computer world completely clean of malware. Please, share this article in the social networks you use – Twitter, Reddit, Facebook – wherever.
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Wilbur Woodham
How to Remove Smarty?

Name: Smarty

Description: Smarty - a lot of users became a victim of browser hijacker. I have a lot of friends who literally bombed me with the questions like “how to remove Smarty?”. In this article we will show you how to deal with Smarty (Getsmartyapp.com), which may corrupt your browser’s correct performance, and create a lot of troubles while you are working.

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Browser Hijacker

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References

  1. More information about PUAs
  2. Detailed review of Microsoft Defender

About the author

Wilbur Woodham

I was a technical writer from early in my career, and consider IT Security one of my foundational skills. I’m sharing my experience here, and I hope you find it useful.

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